
Class, r_j^:i 

Book . - ':'-. '■'' 



Testimonials of 
/Appreciation 



to 



HERMAN RIDDER 



Acting 'President 



and 



HENRY W. SACKETT 

Secretary 
of 

The Hudson- Fulton 
Celebration Commission 



■^ 



mA<T^CH, 1910 



D. Of 0. 






HUDSON-FULTON 
CELEBRATION COMMISSION 

154 Nassau Street, New York 

SVIarch 15; 1 9 10 
^ear Sir: 

The Committee having charge of the 
presentation of testimonials to cMr. Herman 
bidder f /Icting^resident^ and Colonel Henry ZV, 
Sackett; Secretary of the Hudson-Fulton Cele- 
bration Commission^ have the pleasure to report 
the discharge of their agreeable duty. Following 
is a statement of the circumstances attending 
the presentations : 

/Is the affairs of this Commission were draw- 
ing to a close f it seemed to several members that 
some suitable recognition should be made of 
the exceptional and very valuable services ren- 
dered by ^r. bidder and Colonel Sackett^ 
both of whom^ during more than four years of 
continuous service^ have made great sacrifices 
in their devotion to the Commission's work. 
This sentiment was shared by General VOood- 

3 



I 



fordf the 'President of the Commission^ who had 
already received the formal expression of the 
Commission's appreciation, and who is now 
abroad receiving great honor as the representa- 
tive of the Commission, 

With a view to carrying out this idea, the 
undersigned were requested to act as a Com- 
mittee. As both propriety and the established 
policy of the Commission dictated that these tes- 
timonials should not be made at the expense of 
the public funds of the Commission, the oppor- 
tunity to provide the necessary means was offered 
to as many members of the Commission as 
seemed to be necessary to insure the success of 
the undertaking and to afford an index of the 
sentiment of the Commission. The immediate 
and generous response was a sufficient indication 
of the unanimity of the sentiment designed to be 
expressed by the testimonials, 

/is the Commission had restricted the striking 
of the Official SVIedal in gold, like those presented 
to the Governments, the Committee had two 
medals of Alaska gold, three inches in diameter, 

5 




Obverse of Gc 


Id M 


cdals Presented to 


HERMAN 


RIDDER 


and 

Actua 


HENRY 

Size 


w 


SACKETT 



Designed by Chester Beach 
Executed by Tiffany & Co. 




Reverse of Gold Medals Presented to 
HERMAN RIDDER and HENRY W. SACKETT 

Actual Size 



struck from dies cut for this purpose from the 
models designed by cMr. Chester ^each for the 
medallion of the Official ^adge, /It the same 
time a third medal was struck in bronze for the 
sculptor. No others were struck from these dies^ 
and the testimonials are therefore unique. 

Upon the edges of the two gold medals were 
engraved the following inscriptions respectively: 

"A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FROM 
THE MEMBERS OF THE HUDSON-FUL- 
TON CELEBRATION COMMISSION TO 
HERMAN RIDDER, ACTING PRESIDENT, 
FOR HISVALUABLE SERVICES, I905-I9I0." 

"A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION FROM 
THE MEMBERS OF THE HUDSON-FUL- 
TON CELEBRATION COMMISSION TO 
HENRY WOODWARD SACKETT, SECRE- 
TARY, FOR HIS VALUABLE SERVICES, 
1905-1910." 

The medals were inclosed in leather cases 
which were respectively stamped: 

"HUDSON-FULTON CELEBRATION. 
HERMAN RIDDER, 1905-1910" 

and 

"HUDSON-FULTON CELEBRATION. 
HENRY WOODWARD SACKETT, I905-I9IO" 

Replicas of the obverse and reverse of the 
medals^ mounted in frames to be hung in the 
libraries of the recipients^ were also prepared. 

7 



The following letters were beautifully engrossed 
and illuminated in hook form to accompany the 
testimonials: 

iJ^ew York^ 
iMarch 10^ I9IO 

To the Hon, Herman bidder* 

T>ear Mr, bidder: 

The delightful privilege has been 
accorded to us by members of the Hudson-Ful- 
ton Celebration Commission^ whose names are 
hereto attached^ to present to you on their behalf 
the accompanying medal in gold f which they hope 
you will accept not only as a souvenir of the 
Celebration^ but as an evidence of their high ap- 
preciation of the great service rendered by you 
to the Commission. 

The medal presented is an enlargement of the 
Official 'Badge. Your friends felt that they had 
no authority to use the official die of the Com- 
mission, and as their wish was to pay to you a 
personal tribute of respect and regard^ they have 
caused this medal to be struck for the purpose. 

We wish we could convey to you a sense of 
the cordiality with which every one has responded 
to the proposal. It is clear that your long and 
public-spirited labor of love for the City of New 
York in helping so superbly ^ as Acting 'Presi- 

9 



dent of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commis- 
sion^ to carry to success that Celebration^ has 
won for you a host of friends^ whose admiration 
for your courage^ your energy^ your enthusiasm^ 
and your faith in the success of the enterprise^ 
is only second to their high personal regard for 
you as a man. 

On behalf of the members of the Commission 
who have had the privilege of taking part in this 
tribute, 

ZVe have the honor to be, 

Yours very sincerely, 

Seth Low, Chairman 

William ^erri 
George F. Kunz 
John B, Larsons 
Francis Lynde Stetson 



Edward ©. Adams 
Louis Annin Ames 
John <©. Archbold 
John Jacob Astor 
George Clinton 'Batcheller 
James SM. 'Beck 
August 'Belmont 
William 'Berri 
Cornelius K. G. 'Billings 
Bmil L. 'Boas 
George C. 'Boldt 
George S. Bowdoin 
George V. 'B rower 



Henry W. Cannon 
Howard Carroll 
Joseph H. Choate 
"Paul <D. Cravath 
William J. Curtis 
^. Fulton Cutting 
Robert W. de Forest 
Chauncey cM. T>epew 
Samuel W. Fairchild 
Stuyvesant Fish 
Charles S. Francis 
Alfred <B. Fry 
George J. Gould 



II 



Frederick T). Grant 
Henry E. Gregory 
Edward Hagaman Hall 
Thomas H. Hubbard 
Archer 3\4. Huntington 
Jiugust F. Jaccaci 
Arthur C. James 
Horatio C. King 
George F. Kunz 
Charles *7^. Lamb 
Gustav Lindenthal 
Seth Low 

Arthur iMacArthur 
William iMcCarroll 
Anson G. cMcCook 
John J. iMcCook 
Jacob W. 3^iller 
J. 'Pierpont cMorgan 
Levi <P. S^Iorton 
ZVilliam C. cMuschenheim 
cMorgan J. O'Brien 
Willis L. Ogden 
Eben E. Olcott 
Henry Fairfield Osborn 
Alton ©. 'Parker 
John E. Parsons 
Samuel Parsons 



George W. Perkins 
N. Taylor Phillips 
Eugene H. Porter 
Horace Porter 
Thomas 1^. Proctor 
Cornelius A, Pugsley 
Louis C. 'J^aegener 
William Rockefeller 
Charles F. Roe 
Herbert L. Satterlee 
Jacob H. Schiff 
Jacob Gould Schurman 
Isaac /v. Seligman 
Frederick W. Seward 
James Speyer 
Francis Lynde Stetson 
Stevenson Taylor 
Eliot Tuckerman 
Cornelius Vanderbilt 
John W. Vrooman 
Edmund Wet more 
William R. Willcox 
James Grant Wilson 
Louis Windmuller 
Stewart L. Woodford 
Timothy L. Woodruff 



13 



1 



New York, iMarch 10, 1 9 10 

To Colonel Henry ZV. Sackett. 

T)ear Colonel Sackett : 

The delightful privilege has been ac- 
corded to us by members of the Hudson-Fulton 
Celebration Commission, whose names are hereto 
attached, to present to you on their behalf the ac- 
companying medal in gold, which they hope you 
will accept not only as a souvenir of the Celebra- 
tion, but as an evidence of their high appreciation 
of the great service rendered by you to the Com- 
mission. 

The medal presented is an enlargement of the 
Official 'Badge. Your friends felt that they had 
no authority to use the official die of the Com- 
mission, and as their wish was to pay to you a 
personal tribute of respect and regard, they have 
caused this medal to be struck for the purpose* 

ZVe wish we could convey to you a sense of 
the cordiality with which every one has responded 
to the proposal. It is clear that your long and 
public-spirited labor of love for the City of New 
York in helping to carry to success the Hudson- 
Fulton Celebration has won for you a host of 
friends. Your associates of the Commission 
fully appreciate the unique contribution which 
you made to the success of the Celebration. They 
understand, in an imperfect way, what it means 

15 



to give^ as you have given^ many months of your 
time to the patient handling of one perplexing 
question after another. It has been to them at 
all times a source of satisfaction to know that 
the work of the Secretary of the Commission has 
been in hands so entirely competent and safe} 
and most of them are your debtors for much per- 
sonal courtesy and consideration. 

On behalf of the members of the Commission 
who have had the privilege of taking part in this 
tribute^ 

ZVe have the honor to fee. 

Yours very sincerely^ 

Seth Low^ Chairman 

William ^erri 
George F. Kunz 
John B. Larsons 
Francis Lynde Stetson 

The names of the contributors were also en- 
grossed in this letter. 

The medals^ framed replicas^ and engrossed 
letters were prepared by Tiffany & Co. 

Owing to the prospective departure of Colonel 
Sackett on Saturday^ cMarch 12^ for several 
weeks^ absence in the South and far ZVest^ it 

17 



was not practicable to arrange for the presenta- 
tion of the testimonials at a formal gathering. 
They were therefore sent on Friday^ cMarch I /, 
to the recipients^ who acknowledged them as 
follows: 

March 11 J 1 9 10 
Hon. Seth LoWj 

30 East Sixty 'fourth Street^ 
New York City. 

iMy dear 3VIr. Mayor : 

Your favor of cM arch II and the box contain- 
ing the engrossed letter^ gold medal^ and replica 
received just now. 

The pleasure and surprise are so great that I 
cannot find words to properly thank you for 
what will be the best heritage I can leave to my 
sons. 

I will take the earliest opportunity to person- 
ally thank you and your associates for the great 
and undeserved honor you have done me. 

Yours faithfully^ 

Herman T^idder. 



19 



iMarch 11^ 1 9 10 
cMy dear ©r. Low: 

I do not know how adequately to thank 
you and the other members of your Committee 
and of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commis- 
sion from whom I received this afternoon the 
beautiful medal and its replica and the illumin- 
ated message that accompanied them. I am 
touched more deeply than I can express. 

This is far more than my due for any service 
I have been able to render to the great under- 
taking in which so many of you have^ with at 
least equal devotion^ been working unitedly and 
with common purpose. 

There have been two features of the work of 
the Commission that are most gratifying and 
almost unique. One is the fact that so large a 
number of the most representative men in the 
community have disinterestedly united in giving 
so much time and effort, as well as such gen- 
erous pecuniary aid, out of love for their City and 
State, to advance this public enterprise. The 
other fine feature was the harmony that has uni- 
formly prevailed in the councils of the Commis- 
sion and has made its action upon all important 
questions one of absolute unanimity. 

I believe these to be the two things that made 
our Celebration so great and so successful ; they 

21 



certainly made association with it officially a 
privilege and a pleasure that can leave only in- 
spiring memories. 

That my associates in this work should think 
me worthy of such tokens of their esteem as these 
that have come to me to-day^ is repayment^ a 
thousandfold^ for whatever I have been able to do 
to further the work of the Commission. They 
will always be of priceless worth to me. I shall 
prize them more than the highest honors or great- 
est decorations that could be bestowed by any 
ruler or potentate on earth. 

Let me extend to you^ my dear ©r. Low^ and 
to Messrs, 'Berri^ 'Parsons^ Stetson^ and Kunz 
of your Committee^ and through you to all our 
associates upon the Commission from whom these 
gifts and this message have come^ the assurances 
of my sincere appreciation and everlasting grati- 
tude. 

Very sincerely yours^ 

Henry W. Sackett. 



23 



SVlarch 12 
The Hon. Seth Low, 

Chairman. 

SVIy dear 3Vlr. Low: 

I wish to thank the Committee for the 
medal presented me^ and yourself for the kind 
wording of your letter of cM arch II. They will 
both remain pleasant things to look back on^ in 
the work. 

Relieve me sincerely yours^ 

Chester 'Beach. 



In behalf of the Committee^ I am 
Yours very truly ^ 

Seth Low, Chairman. 

Seth LoWf Chairman 
William ^erri 
George F. Kunz 
John B. 'Parsons 
Francis Lynde Stetson 

Committee 

25 



If! 




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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